HILLSDALE—School officials said they will be pitching the benefits of an $82.5 million referendum for a new middle school to replace the dilapidated, century-old George G. White middle school at a December Borough Council meeting.
However, an endorsement by the mayor is not anticipated. That’s based on initial comments from Mayor John Ruocco to Pascack Press.
Asked if he might consider endorsing the referendum, he told us, “I have no plans to do so. It is a public referendum where the residents will have their say. The superintendent and Board of Education has been clear in terms of what is at stake, the various alternatives and the costs.”
He said, “Matters pertaining to local schools, other than public safety, are best addressed by the public interacting with the superintendent and local BOE, the latter of which are all elected officials. I have great respect for the will of the residents.”
Montvale Mayor Michael Ghassali endorsed the district’s $29.4 million bond referendum held in December 2021. That referendum was approved, 603 to 342, with an approximate 14% voter turnout.
Superintendent Robert Lombardy told Pascack Press that he will present on the district’s referendum at Hillsdale’s Dec. 13 meeting of the governing body.
At the Oct. 10 school board meeting, trustees unanimously approved three goals for 2022-2023, and two of them focused exclusively on passing the middle school referendum.
Here are the first two 2022–2023 goals laid out by the BOE:
- Pursue a bond referendum to enhance the facilities and programming for Hillsdale middle school students by proposing the construction of a new, 21st century learning complex to be used by our children, educators and community;
- Communicate the facts that surround the Board of Education’s process, option study, decision and need for action regarding the upcoming bond referendum that will be decided by the Hillsdale community.
The district’s “Road to Referendum” website went live on the district home page Sept. 21.
Since June, when the school board voted unanimously to support the replacement of the school, school officials have hired a public relations company for up to $55,000 to create a promotional website entitled “Road to Referendum” to answer residents’ questions.
The board has faced some criticism for approving the replacement referendum, although district officials insist that replacing the aged middle school would be best and the least disruptive to middle schoolers’ education over a likely two-year construction schedule.
The board hired Laura Bishop Communications, Cherry Hill, in July to help produce district communications, a website and possible video overview to disseminate information on the proposed new middle school beginning this fall.
(See “$82.5M middle school referendum approved for 2023,” June 17, 2022, Pascack Press.)
Lombardy told Pascack Press Oct. 17 that the district is still waiting for the state education department decision on what state aid they can anticipate. He said this will allow the district to craft the official referendum question and figure out final costs to taxpayers.
“We do not have costs yet. We are awaiting to hear from the state. Once we get that information, then the question language can be crafted and we can begin working with the Bergen County office elections on (referendum) cost,” Lombardy said Oct. 17.
“Road To Referendum” notes, “Very preliminary estimates put the ‘real feel’ tax impact in the range of $100/month (for a home assessed at Hillsdale’s average) over a 20-year bond term. As Hillsdale gets more information from the state and its financial advisors, that estimate will become more firm.”
The site also addresses why the board unanimously voted to choose replacement over renovation: “The Board of Education thoughtfully considered the costs and process of salvaging George White. Significant renovation and some space additions could bring it closer to modern educational standards.”
It said, “However, the per-month tax impact of that undertaking was estimated at $72 per month – compared to the $100 per month cost of building a new school. The process of renovation would have required that students and staff relocate to modular trailers for a minimum of two years.”
It continues, “At today’s estimates, that process would have cost more than $3.7 million. Hillsdale would be left with the many unknown factors that come from renovating a 100-year-old school and some architectural constraints could not be overcome. A survey of people who learned about the options showed very strong support for the proposal to invest in a new middle school.”